That Was A Close One
by Mr.EntertainmentFan
Summary: Aftermath of Losing It All. Featuring my OC: Ruvim Lansky. I wrote this after I finished Losing It All 2 years ago. I never got around to publishing it till now. So it is not new. Hey Arnold Belongs to Craig Bartlett and Nickelodeon.
1. Chapter 1

It was noon and Rhonda was at the mall doing some shopping. "Oh this looks nice." She said to herself

while looking at a dress. All of a sudden, her cell phone rang. She picked it up saying: "Hello?" It turned

out to be her daughter Courtney's principle at school. He replied: "Mrs. Lansky?" Rhonda quickly replied:

"Oh no, did Courtney get in trouble?" The principle said: "No, no, she's just a little sick. We need you to

come pick her up." Rhonda immediately dropped the dress that she was holding and quickly ran to her

car. When she arrived at the school, Courtney was sitting outside the doorstep waiting for her.

"Courtney! What are you doing sitting on that cold cement, you'll get even more sick!" Rhonda shouted.

The clouds turned gray and rain began to pour. Rhonda quickly grabbed Courtney by the hand and

continued: "Come-on, lets get you home." Inside the car, Rhonda turned on the heater and asked: " Feel

better princess?" Courtney nodded. When they arrived home, Courtney went straight to bed. Rhonda

went with her. She tucked her in and playfully asked: "Aw, is my little Courtney sick?" Courtney replied:

"Cut it out, I'm not little any more!" "Of course you're not." Rhonda replied sarcastically. She then kissed

her and said: "Get well soon." Rhonda left the room and went downstairs. In the living room, she

opened the blinds to see the beautiful, silver rain. As she was looking out the window, she saw two little

girls outside jumping on the puddles, laughing, and having fun. This immediately reminded Rhonda of her

and Nadine back when they were best friends. Rhonda remembered how close she once was with

Nadine. Back when Rhonda was with Nadine it seemed as if nothing would ever tear them apart.

Unfortunately, mistakes were made and things drastically changed at the very end. All of a sudden, the

front door opened and her husband Ruvim came home early from work. Ruvim's parents were successful

jewelers. After they retired, he inherited the family business. "Hey, Hey" He said as he ran up to her and

picked her up in the air. Rhonda laughed and said: "My, everybody's coming home early today." "What

do you mean?" Asked Ruvim. Rhonda responded: "Well, I just picked up Courtney from school because

she got sick." In a worried tone, Ruvim asked: "Is she ok?" Rhonda replied: "Don't worry, it's just a minor

cold. She's right now warm and sleeping in her bedroom." "Well, that's great to hear." Replied Ruvim.

Rhonda then said: "Listen, Ruvim, I saw two girls playing outside who reminded me of myself and Nadine

back in the day." "Who's Nadine?" Ruvim asked as he was walking around the kitchen. Rhonda was

shocked and replied: "She was my best friend back in Hillwood!" Ruvim then remembered and said: "Oh,

you mean the long lost descendant of Judas?" "Ruvim." Rhonda said as she gave him and angry look.

Ruvim poured himself some coffee and continued: "But seriously, I hope she hung herself already."

"Ruvim, you do not speak like that in the house!" Shouted Rhonda. "Alright, Alright." Replied Ruvim

nonchalantly. Rhonda then asked nervously while scratching her head: "So anyway, I was thinking to go

back and visit my old friends at Hillwood." Ruvim did a spit take of his coffee which spilled all over the

kitchen floor. Rhonda gave him another angry look and said: "You're cleaning that up." As Ruvim was

coughing out his coffee, he replied: "Why on earth would you want to go back there?!" Rhonda replied:

"Because I wanna see my old friends again! I want to see what they're like right now, if they have any

children of their own. Especially Nadine." Ruvim continued: "I would only step foot in that place armed

and ready to kill!" After that statement, Rhonda was speechless. Ruvim calmed himself down and asked:

"Rhonda, don't tell me you really wanna go." Rhonda replied: "I'm not obsessed with going back there.

It's just something that I would like. Besides, I never really thought about it till now." Ruvim then asked:

"Are those girls that you saw still outside?" Rhonda looked out the window and saw them! "Yes! There

they are!" She said with an excited voice. Ruvim looked and replied: "You want to know what those girls

have that you didn't? A childhood! Something that was taken from you by those same people that you

want to go back to. And lets take Courtney for example. Next year, she will be graduating elementary

school. Something that you never got a chance to do because of those same parasites that you want to

go back to." Rhonda replied: "But they have changed and you know that!" Ruvim responded: "That

doesn't change what they did. I'd understand if they were stupid for weeks, months, or even a year! But

we are talking about nine years here Rhonda!" Rhonda sighed and said: "I guess you're right." Ruvim

walked up to her and gave her a hug. He continued: "Rhonda, the main reason why I don't want you to

go back there is because I love you." Rhonda smiled and said: "I know." Ruvim then walked up and

grabbed a photo album of Rhonda's birthdays. He showed her empty pages of her 10th-18th birthdays.

This gave Rhonda some dark memories of the past. Ruvim then said in a manipulative tone: "What kind

of love would I be showing if I let you go back to the same people who did this." Rhonda nodded in

agreement. She was getting ready to go upstairs when Ruvim stopped her. "Hold on." He said. Ruvim

then turned the page to Rhonda's 19th birthday where there were all sorts of photos of her being

hugged by friends and having the time of her life." Ruvim continued in his manipulative tone: "Remember,

I made all of this possible. It was all me." Rhonda smiled and replied: "Ok big hero." Ruvim kissed her

and said: "There is really no need to go back to that horrible place. Some of the best years of your life

were here. This is the place where you have great friends. And of course, this is the place where you

married me." Ruvim smiled arrogantly after saying that last part. Rhonda rolled her eyes and added:

"This is also the place where we had Courtney." Ruvim replied: "Well there you go! Speaking of which,

I'm gonna go upstairs and be with her." "Woah, you are not going anywhere!" Said Rhonda handing him

a mop and pointing at the coffee-stained floor. She then said: "You are cleaning this mess up while I go

upstairs and be with Courtney."

 **Author's Note: I'm not sure if I want to keep this as a one-shot or add more chapters. I have more ideas but idk. What do you all think?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: I've decided to continue the story. Although, I'm probably gonna do just one more chapter after this one.**

A week has passed and Courtney was no longer sick, Rhonda had just come home from her job as a fashion designer, and Ruvim was coming home

from his job being more excited than usual. At this time, school was out during the Christmas break. At home, Courtney was helping Rhonda set up

the Christmas tree. Outside, snow began to fall while Ruvim walked home singing to himself "It's Five O Clock". When finally making his way home,

Ruvim opened the door and saw his wife and daughter setting up the Christmas tree. "Why are you two setting up that damn thing?" Asked Ruvim.

Courtney looked at Rhonda with a concerned face and asked: "Is daddy drunk again?" "I dunno." Rhonda replied while giving Ruvim an angry look.

"No, not yet." Said Ruvim while getting out a piece of paper from his jacket. "What is this?" Asked Rhonda while taking it. As she read it, Ruvim

replied: "I just ordered us a cabin in the mountains. It'll be great! We'll go skiing, sledding, hiking in the woods- Oh the fun!" "Wow, that does sound

like fun." Said Courtney. Ruvim then kicked down the Christmas tree and asked: "Come on Rhonda, what do you say?" Rhonda looked down at the

tree and replied: "Well, I guess I have no choice now."

Back in Hillwood, Arnold and Helga's son, Phillip was walking home from school ready to enjoy his Christmas break. When he arrived home, he opened

the door and noticed how both of his parents cleaning up the house. Helga heard him and shouted from the living room: PHILLIP! Could you get the

mail for me?" "OK mom." Phillip replied. Phillip went back outside to get the mail. Meanwhile, Helga was setting up the Christmas tree in the living

room. Phillip then entered the house and shouted: "MOM! It's for dad. Where is he?" "Ugh! He's always somewhere." Replied Helga. "Check the

backyard." She said. Phillip then made his way to the backyard and saw his dad. He slid the kitchen door open and shouted "DAD! It's for you!"

Arnold was outside grilling and smiled at the sight of his son. He laughed playfully and replied: "Alright, lets see what we've got here." It was a letter

from Gerald. The letter featured a family photo of Gerald, Phoebe, and their two children. The letter read: _Hey Arnold, I know its early but I decided to_

 _give you your gift now. I ordered you, Helga, and Phillip a cabin in the far away mountains. The address is on the back. Merry Christmas man._ Arnold smiled

and said: "Thanks Gerald." He then looked at Phillip and said: "Come one, lets go to your mother." At the living room Arnold told Helga about the

cabin. "Can we please go mom?" Asked Phillip. Helga sighed and said: "I guess put up this tree for nothing."

The next day, Ruvim, Rhonda, and Courtney were on the road making their way to the mountains. Ruvim was on the steering wheel and turned on

Russian radio featuring old songs. He then lit a cigarette and said: "Ah, this takes me back to when i was a kid being driven by my parents." "Ruvim, I

have no idea what they are singing about." Said Rhonda. Ruvim smiled and replied: "This song in particular is about love." He leaned over and kissed

Rhonda on the cheek. Rhonda smiled back. Ruvim then looked at his daughter and asked: "You OK back there Courtney?" "Yeah, I'm alright." She

replied. After a while, Ruvim finished his cigarette and said: "Oh, you girls are gonna love this place. When I was a kid, my parents would take me

here every Christmas." After several more miles, Ruvim, Rhonda, and Courtney finally arrived at their destination. The area featured a cabin

surrounded by an entrance to a pine forest from one side and some hills from the other side. "Here it is!" Said Ruvim with an excited voice. "This is in

the middle of NOWHERE!" Complained Courtney. Ruvim laughed and replied: "Don't worry, there are slopes and other cabins just over those hills.

I'm sure you will find someone to play with." With an excited face, Courtney ran toward the hills. Ruvim immediately caught her by the back of her

jacket and lifted her up as if she was a cat. He then said: "You are not going anywhere until after you help us unpack." Courtney groaned: "Ugh."

On the other side of the hills, Arnold, Helga, and Phillip have just arrived at their cabin. After stepping out of the car, Arnold placed his hand over

Phillip"s shoulder and said: "Come on, lets check out the inside." Arnold and Phillip stepped inside of their cabin. Phillip shouted: "WOW!" He ran

toward the bed and began to jump up and down. Arnold quickly grabbed him and stated nervously: "Now, now Phillip. The bed is not ours. We are

just renting it." All of a sudden, Helga came in with a bunch of luggage on her back. She finally dropped everything on the floor causing a huge sound.

"A little help would have been nice." She said. Arnold chuckled and said: "Come on Phillip, lets go back to the car and help out your mother." Helga

then thought to herself: "I hope I didn't cause an avalanche." After they finished unpacking, Phillip got up and said: "I'm going outside to play now."

Arnold and Helga waved as he left door. Outside, Phillip saw a girl building a snowman. The girl was none other than Courtney. Of course, Phillip did

not know her. He ran up to her and said: "Hey there." She looked at him and replied: "Oh, hello." Phillip asked while laughing: "How come your

snowman has a pickle nose?" Courtney replied with an embarrassed voice: "Well, my parents can't find the carrots yet so my dad gave me a pickle."

All of a sudden, a snowball hit her face. "Hey!" she shouted while Phillip began to laugh even more. Courtney then ripped off her snowman's head

and threw it at Phillip covering his entire face. Phillip then got up and the two began to look at each other. They smiled and began to laugh.

Meanwhile, Ruvim was on top of one of the slopes getting ready to ski. He got ready and successfully began to slide down the slope. The further

down he went, the faster he became. All of a sudden, a snowball hit him right in the head immediately knocking him off the slope. Ruvim got up and

angrily growled asking: "Who threw that?!" He then heard laughter from not far away. "Those kids think they can ruin my skiing greatness huh?" Said

Ruvim as he picked up one of his ski poles getting ready to club somebody. "I"ll show them." He continued. When he reached the place where he

heard laughter, he noticed it was Courtney. He saw how Courtney was laughing and having a snowball fight with another kid (Phillip). Ruvim calmed

down and said: "Oh, it's just my little girl. But who is she with? That boy reminds me of someone." Then out of nowhere, Arnold and Helga came out

to greet them. Ruvim immediately recognized them! "I-ts THEM!" He shockingly said to himself and continued: "They probably remember my face. I've

gotta leave quickly! They cannot know Rhonda is here." Ruvim quickly made his way back to the cabin. At the same time, Rhonda came back from ice

skating. Ruvim quickly ran up to her and kissed her saying: "Oh Rhonda, you're back! Did you have fun?" Rhonda giggled and replied: "I had lots of

fun thanks." All of a sudden, Courtney came back to the cabin as well. "Oh hey Courtney, did you have fun?" Rhonda asked. She replied: "Oh I had

lots of fun with a kid named Phillip." "Oh." Said Rhonda. At this point, Ruvim began to sweat nervously. Courtney continued: "His parents are very

cool too. They also want to meet you and get to know you." "WHAT?!" Ruvim shouted. Rhonda and Courtney looked at him with concerned faces.

Ruvim scratched the back of his head and nervously said: "I-I just hate it when people are nosy." Ruvim then mumbled to himself: "Those nosy pieces

of shit." "Sure, I'll go meet the parents." Said Rhonda. Ruvim's eyes grew and he quickly shouted: "NO NO NO NO! I'll go meet the parents while you

uh..." Ruvim quickly opened up the closet and got out an assault rifle. "You stay here and guard the cabin in case of a bear attack!" He said handing

Rhonda the rifle which she had a hard time lifting. Ruvim continued: "Good. Now guard the cabin like the mother you are!" With an annoyed face,

Rhonda dropped the rifle and said: "Whatever, I need to make lunch anyway." "Alright then." Replied Ruvim while putting on a closed-mouth and

closed-nose ski mask as well as some goggles. "You're going to meet the parents wearing that?" Rhonda asked. Ruvim replied: "Hey it's cold

outside." Rhonda shook her head and said to herself: "And here I though he had good fashion sense."

Ruvim along with Courtney made their way to Arnold's cabin. With an excited face, Courtney knocked on the door. Both Arnold and Helga answered it.

"Hey." Said Helga. "Hello Courtney." Added Arnold. "Hi." She replied and then continued: "Can I go see Phillip?" Arnold replied: "Sure, he's in the

kitchen eating. there are several sandwiches on the table so help yourself." "Thank you." Said Courtney with a smile. She went inside the cabin and

then Arnold and Helga turned to Ruvim. Helga asked: "So, you're Courtney's father?" "That's right." He replied with an angry tone. "What's your

name?" Arnold asked. He responded: "You will address me by my initials, R.L." Arnold replied: "Um OK R.L. nice to meet you." Arnold then offered a

handshake. R.L. (Ruvim) quickly grabbed Arnold's hand and began to squeeze it angrily. "Hey! Easy!" Exclaimed Arnold. He let go and nonchalantly

said: "Oh sorry, I was checking myself for frostbite." Helga then said: "You know, you kind of sound like somebody we once met." She angrily

continued: "A certain Somebody who shall remain nameless." In his head, Ruvim replied: "Are you talking about me unibrowed bitch?" Arnold added:

"Oh yeah I remember him. He was worse than Wolfgang." Ruvim began to shake with anger. He asked himself: "Who the hell is Wolfgang?!" "Hey are

you alright?" Asked Arnold. Ruvim quickly said: "Oh, i-its just cold outside." Arnold laughed and replied: "Well come in then." "I'm just gonna pick

up Courtney." Said Ruvim. Arnold quickly stopped him, handed him a piece of paper and asked: "Oh before you go, here is our home address. Maybe

you and Courtney would like to visit someday." "And bring your wife too." Added Helga. "You wish." Ruvim said in his head. Arnold then asked: "What

about your address?" Underneath that mask and those goggles, Ruvim had an extremely evil smile. He replied with a sadistic tone: "You want my

address huh?" He quickly got out a piece of paper and a pen from his jacket. Ruvim wrote down an address alright. But lets just say it was not his

home address. Soon after Ruvim and Courtney left the cabin, Arnold and Helga sat together and began to talk. Arnold started: "You know

Courtney is a really nice girl." Helga added: "Yeah but doesn't her face remind you of someone?" "You mean Rhonda?" Asked Arnold. Helga then said:

"Ah yes Princess Rhonda and that no good Prince Charming of hers." Arnold asked: "By the way, didn't Courtney's father remind you of him?" "Well

now that you mention it..." replied Helga. Arnold then asked: "You don't think..." Arnold and Helga looked at each other and said: "NAH!" Arnold

laughed and concluded: "We probably had a bit too much wine."

Back at the Lansky cabin, Ruvim and Courtney made it back safely. Once they entered, Rhonda was ready with her favorite finger sandwiches as well

as some salad and chips with dip. She then sarcastically told Ruvim: "Good news. No bears." Ruvim laughed and said: "That's good to know. But I still

might need to use that rifle."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Here is the last chapter. Sorry for the delay. I got new games that were holding me back. Seriously.**

Several days have past and Christmas break was coming to an end. Arnold came home early from work while Helga was still at her job and Phillip was

still playing with his friends at the park. He stepped into his quiet home and went into the kitchen. After fixing himself a sandwich, he sat at the

kitchen table and saw the address that Ruvim gave him. He thought to himself: "Hmm, tomorrow is Sunday and Phillip is soon going back to school."

Arnold then got the address and went upstairs to his computer. Meanwhile at the park, Phillip was still playing football with his friends. The

sun began to set and everybody was getting ready to leave. As Phillip was leaving, he waved to his friends. All of a sudden, bright, shining

headlights began flash before his eyes and came closer. "Huh?" He asked himself. It turned out to be Helga on the big truck given to her by Big Bob.

She leaned out of the window and asked: "Hey Phillip, is your father with you?" He replied: "No, he's probably at home." Helga smiled and

responded:"Well OK, hop in. Let's go home to your father on grandpa's big truck!" "COOL!" Shouted Phillip as he jumped inside the truck. As Helga

and Phillip were making their way back home, Arnold had just finished studying the directions of the Ruvim's (ahem) address. Then, the doorbell rang.

Arnold quickly rushed to the door. He turned the knob and it was his wife and son. He smiled and kissed Helga. Then, he put his hand on Phillip's

shoulder. Arnold spoke with an excited voice: "Alright listen, I have just printed out that address R.L. gave us. The destination is pretty far but

we can make it in about 16 hours from here." Helga arrogantly smiled and said: "For a destination that far, how about we use my dad's truck?"

Arnold replied with an excited voice: "Alright!" "So when are we going?" Asked Phillip. Arnold stated: "Well, your mother and I are both off on

Sundays so how about tomorrow?" "Yes!"Phillip exclaimed. Arnold yawned and said: "Oh, for such a log road trip we should go to bed early."

Phillip groaned:"Ugh!" As he went upstairs. "Well, I don't mind that." Said Helga with a smile. Arnold smiled back and said: "Come on, lets go

upstairs."

The next day,The Shortman family woke up early for their big trip. Phillip was rubbing his eyes while Helga was making some coffee. Arnold

picked up the keys from the kitchen table when Helga told him: "Careful with the truck. My dad is not too crazy about our marriage to start with so

don't make things worse." Arnold nervously laughed and said: "Don't worry." After the family was ready, they stepped outside and got in the truck. On

the road, Arnold spoke with an excited voice: "Oh boy, R.L. and Courtney are going to be surprised to see us." Phillip sighed and replied: "Yeah but this

road trip is gonna take forever." Helga looked through her purse and got out some of her old trading cards. She then said: "Hey Phillip, here you go. I

had a lot of fun collecting these wrestling cards when I was a kid." Phillip grabbed the cards and shouted:"WOW!" Arnold smiled and added: "We

could buy some more on the next gas stop." "Yes." Phillip whispered to himself. After several hours of driving, the truck was getting closer to the destination.

As Phillip was looking through the wrestling cards, Arnold stated: "Alright, we are almost there." Phillip quickly put the cards aside and with an excited face

began to lookout of his window. The place looked nice overall. After about one more hour, the truck finally made it to the destination. Arnold smiled and

looked outside his window. He stated: "Well, were here!" Phillip looked outside his window and saw a simple one-story house. Arnold looked at Helga

and Phillip with an excited smile and said: "Come on, lets surprise them." Phillip chuckled as he got out. Helga smiled and followed. Arnold along with

his wife and son made their way to the door. Arnold rang the doorbell and the three began to wait. When the door opened, a stout man stood at the

doorway. He had blonde, curly hair with a golden tuxedo shirt as well as black pants and shoes. "Who's there?" Asked his wife coming to the

doorway. She had blonde, straight hair with an eye patch on her face. She wore a white jacket with a white skirt and white heels. "Hello." Said Arnold

with a smile. "Can I help you?" Asked the man. Arnold replied: "Don't you remember us? I'm Arnold, this is my wife Helga, and my son Phillip." The man

and his wife then looked at each other with evil smiles. "These are the people Ruvim told us about." The woman whispered to her husband. Helga then

began to poke the guy's belly and said: "Man, you've grown since we last saw each other." "Helga!" Arnold looked at her with an angry face and then

looked at the man with an nervous face. The man leaned over to his wife and whispered to her: "Ruvim will not be disappointed." "Is Courtney here?"

Phillip asked. The man replied: "Oh, she's uh..." "Sleeping over at her friend's house." The woman added. "Yeah that's it." Said the man. The woman

continued: "We were unaware of this surprise visit." Phillip responded with a crushed voice: "Oh." The woman then said: "Hey don't worry, she'll be

back tomorrow morning. In the meantime, the three of you could sleep over here." "So what's with the eye patch sister?" Asked Helga. "Helga!"

Arnold angrily whispered. He nervously looked at the woman and said: "I-I'm sorry." She replied: "Oh, it's OK. You should see the other girl." Arnold's

eyes grew. Helga then asked her: "So anyway, what's your name?" "I'm Julia." She responded. "And I'm Mark!" The man added. Julia immediately

slapped her forehead. In a confused voice Arnold asked: "Huh? I thought your name was R.L." In a nervous voice, the man stuttered: "Oh uh..."

Julia quickly added: "Mark is his middle name and that's what everybody here refers to him by." "Yeah that's right." He stated. Julia got up and said:

"Well, I'm gonna fix up some snacks." Mark quickly added: "I'll help you." Before Julia left, she stated: "While Mark and I are in the kitchen, feel free to

turn on the television and make yourselves comfortable." "Thanks." Said Phillip as he got the remote. When Mark and Julia left, Helga leaned over

toward Arnold and with a concerned face, she asked: "They sure are acting weird aren't they?" Arnold laughed and replied: "Come on, you don't

remember R.L... Uh, I mean Mark the last time we met him?" Meanwhile at the kitchen, Mark asked: "So did Ruvim specify anything?" Julia replied: "Well, he

did tell us not to hurt the boy." Mark then asked: "Did Ruvim say anything about accidents?" Julia gave him a stern look and stated: "Listen Mark, this

is serious!" If Rhonda finds out about any of this, Ruvim will get into big trouble and this whole thing will become a giant CLUSTER..." "OK OK I get

it!" Replied Mark. Mark then got an evil smile and told Julia: "I have an idea." "What is it?" She asked. He whispered to her his idea. With a very

impressed voice, Julia responded: "Wow that is good. But what about your tool shed?" Mark replied: "Julia, I'm a builder! I could make another one."

Julia smiled at Mark and said: "Alright, lets do it." The hour became late and it was time to go to bed. Mark and Julia approached The Shortmans and then

Mark spoke up: "So, you want to see our guest room?" "Follow us." Julia added. Arnold looked at Phillip with a smile and said: "Come on." Mark and Julia

began to lead their guests into the room. When they all got to the guest room, Mark opened the door and and said: "One bedroom." Julia then stated:

"Unfortunately, there is not enough room for all three of you." With an evil smile, Mark added: "But there is more room at my tool shed in the backyard." Arnold

put Helga to his side and told Phillip: "Sorry son, looks like it's the tool shed for you. Your mother and I need our privacy." Mark's eyes grew and he shouted: "Wait,

WHAT?" Julia quickly put put her arms around Arnold and Helga. With a manipulative tone, she told them: "Listen, our children deserve the best. How about Phillip

stays in this room while you two stay in the shed." Mark then added: "Trust me, it's both spacious and cozy." "Well, I like the sound of that." Said Helga while

smiling at Arnold. Arnold smiled back at her and told Mark: "Alright, Helga and I will take the tool shed."

The night became older. Phillip was asleep in the quest room, Arnold was already in the tool shed, and Helga was finishing up bushing her teeth in the bathroom.

After finishing, she stepped outside of the bathroom and made her way to the backyard where the tool shed was. In order to enter the backyard, she had to go

through the kitchen. All of a sudden, Helga tripped over something. "What the...?!" She angrily said to herself. Helga blindly searched for the switch and then

turned on the kitchen light. "Huh?" She asked herself? It turned out, she tripped over some tools which were scattered all over the kitchen. "I guess Mark doesn't

trust us." She told herself. Helga then noticed a wallet on the kitchen table. She came to her old juvenile self and decided to see whats inside. With a mischievous

smile, Helga opened up the wallet. After seeing what's inside, her face turned into a frustrated frown. "Aw crap. No money." She said to herself. However, the

wallet contained Mark's ID as well as some personal information. Helga then told herself: "Wait a minuet... " After seeing what's inside, Helga's eyes grew.

Meanwhile, Arnold was inside the tool shed getting himself ready for Helga. All of a sudden, he began to notice a strange smell coming from the outside. Arnold then

told to himself: "Ugh, skunks." Back at the house, Helga began to quickly make her way to the backyard. When entering the backyard, Helga began to smell the same

strange scent. "Damn skunks." She told to herself. She then made it to the tool shed where Arnold was. She opened the door and saw her husband waiting for her.

He smiled and said: "There you are." With a scared look on her face, Helga stated: "Arnold, there is something you should know about Mark." "Huh?" He asked.

Helga continued: "I've looked though his wallet and..." "You did what?!" Arnold exclaimed with an angry face. She replied: "It's a good thing I did! Mark is not who we

thought he was." "What are you talking about?' Arnold asked. Helga continued: "Mark is NOT Courtney's father!" Arnold looked at her with a question on his face.

Helga then concluded: "Mark IS Ruvim's cousin!" After hearing this, Arnold's eyes grew. However, the strange smell interrupted again. Arnold then asked Helga: "Hey,

do you smell skunks?" Helga sniffed around her and replied: "Ew, yeah. It's either skunk or..." All of a sudden, smoke began to appear through the wooden walls.

"What the...?!" Helga asked. Behind the tool shed, stood Mark and Julia with rogue laughter on their faces. Julia began to pour gasoline all over the wooden shed.

And Mark had just lit a match! The tool shed was now covered in gasoline. And with a rogue smile, Mark threw the lit up match at the shed! The match landed on the

gasoline-covered tool shed with Arnold and Helga in it! The shed immediately began to light up! Mark quickly got out his video camera and began to record. While

recording, Mark narrated: _"So, here we have two worthless pieces of garbage burning for their sins."_ Mark then turned his camera toward Julia who smiled and waived at

the lens. _"Ruvim, this is for you."_ She told the camera. Meanwhile, Arnold and Helga were behind the burning shed with terrified looks on their faces. They luckily ran

out before the fire started. Arnold stuttered: "T-these people are crazy." Helga added: "Of course they are crazy! They are affiliated with Ruvim!" With a saddened face

Arnold stated: "So that means R.L. really was Ruvim. And Rhonda was really close by our cabin." Helga added with a sad face: "And Courtney is their daughter." Arnold

concluded: 'Well, at least we got a chance to meet Rhonda's daughter. Because we are never coming back here again!" Helga stated: "You said it! Alright, here's the

plan, we make our way back to the house while they are not looking." Arnold nodded in agreement. Arnold and Helga leaned over and saw how Mark stopped for a

cigarette while handing the camera over to Julia. Helga immediately turned toward Arnold and said: "Lets go!" The two then quickly ran for the house. Right away,

Mark noticed them! He dropped his cigarette and turned on his camera. _"There they go!"_ He narrated. Julia responded with laughter: "That will teach them to never

show their ugly faces here ever again." Mark finished recording and told Julia: "Oh, Ruvim is gonna love this." It's a good thing we don't have neighbors." Said Julia

while looking at the burning shed. Mark put away his camera and stated: "Well, time to get the fire extinguisher."Back inside the house, Arnold and Helga ran into the

guestroom where Phillip was sleeping. They quickly woke him up and got back to their truck. Arnold quickly began to start the truck with Helga rushing him. "Hurry up,

Hurry up!" She told him. Phillip was rubbing his eyes and had no idea what was going on. Arnold finally started the truck and immediately drove off. Back at the yard,

Mark had just finished putting out the fire. The shed turned into a black pile of burnt wood. Mark laughed and said: "Did you see those two? They thought we wouldn't

know about them running out." Julia looked at him and asked: "Well what if they really didn't run out?" Mark replied: "Well then they would've been idiots." She smiled

and told him: "Oh Mark, you are so bad." He responded with an arrogant smile.

 _ **Epilogue**_

It was late at night. Ruvim and Rhonda were already in bed together. Rhonda was sleeping while Ruvim was still awake. Then, Ruvim's cell phone rang. Ruvim quickly

opened the drawer next to him and answered the phone. "Hello?" He answered. Mark was on the other end and replied: "Hey Ruvim, those people you told me about

were at my place today!" Ruvim's eyes grew and he shouted: "NO WAY!" This immediately woke Rhonda up. On the phone, Mark continued: "But don't worry, Julia and

I made sure they would never come back." With a huge smile on his face, Ruvim asked: "Oh shit, how did you do it?" Mark replied: "Get this, I convinced them to

sleep over at my tool shed and then Julia and I burned the bitch to the ground!" Ruvim responded with an enormously loud laughter. Rhonda then pulled her pillow

against her ears with an annoyed face. Ruvim noticed her angry look and told Mark: "OK bro, thanks. I gotta go." Ruvim put the phone down and turned to Rhonda.

"I'm sorry for waking you Rhonda." He said while kissing her in the cheek. Rhonda smiled and told him: "Oh, it's OK." She then asked: "So, who was that?" Ruvim

answered her: "It was Mark." Rhonda continued: "Ugh, Mark. Does he not sleep?" Ruvim told her: "Hey, he's my cousin and my best friend. He's your friend too you

know. And lets not forget Julia. She's your best friend." Rhonda responded: "Julia may be my best friend but she will never replace Nadine." Ruvim replied: "I agree.

There is no comparison between a loyal friend and a traitor." Rhonda rolled her eyes and stated: "Oh Ruvim. You may not be perfect but you are my hero." Ruvim

rapped his arm around her and said: "You know Rhonda, you are my hero as well." Rhonda asked in a laughing tone: "How is that?" Ruvim continued: "Well, I may

have grown up with friends but I never had a girlfriend before you came into my life. Back in school, all the girls were afraid of me and made up stupid excuses on why

they wouldn't go out with me. The only female friend I had was Julia who was already with Mark." "Aw Ruvim." Said Rhonda while placing her head on his chest. Ruvim

smiled and continued: "I never thought I'd ever get married and have a family. But that's when you came in to my life. Thank you." Rhonda replied with a smile: "Oh

Ruvim, I have you to thank most of all." Ruvim responded with an arrogant smile: "I know."


End file.
